Here’s what you need to remember when writing your web content to make sure that it’s gold every time.

Know Your Audience

The better you know your audience, the more comfortable you will find it to communicate effectively with them. It sounds like such a simple idea, but it is one that many content writers are frequently overlooking. When you are drafting your content, you should continually be reminding yourself who it is you are writing for precisely.

Of course, sometimes you will want your content to draw in new audiences as well as appeal to your existing audience. Think of your regular readers as your core group – the primary audience. The secondary audience is the people you think might also be interested in your content. Your primary audience will be able to tell if you put out content that is not for them. If you do that too often, your audience may reconsider their loyalty to you.

Don’t Overcomplicate Your Language

This is one of the most common mistakes that writers, especially new writers, make. Having a large vocabulary is excellent, but there is a thin line between being delightfully loquacious and coming across as a pretentious idiot who just discovered the thesaurus.

One of George Orwell’s rules of writing is never to use a big word where a simple word will do. Of all the different pieces of advice out there for writers, this is one of the very best and one of the few that is universally applicable. Sure, pull out a more complex word when it adds something to your content or where you need a word with precise meaning and connotation. However, try to keep most of your words simple and easily readable.

Show Don’t Tell

This is another one of those golden rules that all writers should always remember. If you continuously tell your readers things, they will soon get bored.

By showing them instead of saying, you are encouraging the reader to engage their imagination. You’ll also motivate them to think about the words they are reading.

Keep the Jargon to a Minimum

This is another essential aspect of knowing your audience. If you are writing for a niche or specialized audience, it might be appropriate to use more jargon than you would in regular conversation. However, avoid jargon for jargon’s sake and avoid using jargon to puff out your word count. Don’t assume your reader is so stupid that they won’t be able to work it out. Going in circles and not saying anything will only agitate them.

For example, check out this page that explains what a PCB is to a new printed circuit designer. It covers a relatively specialized and niche topic (printed circuit boards) but does so without drowning the reader in electrical jargon.

Back to You

Once you start thinking about howyou write and force yourself into these good habits, it won’t be long until they become second nature. When that happens, you will be able to produce quality content every time without even thinking.

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